Abstract: Russian operations in Crimea in 2014 demonstrated an enhanced ability for implementating strategy; Russia effectively combined military and state tools to reach its policy goals. That means new demands for Western defense planners. Confronting Russian military power in the future will require an expanded toolkit.

The German chancellor’s well-founded belief that Putin is a threat to Europe is shifting power relations in the region(...)In a nutshell: Germany seems to be closing down Ostpolitik, the policy that has driven much of its diplomacy for decades. This has potentially huge repercussions that may shift the power games in Europe. Putin’s strong network of “Russland Versteher”, people who “understand” and side with Russia in Germany, will now be severely put to the test.(...)

(...)Russian loans have also been extended to Greece’s neofascist Golden Dawn party, Belgium’s Vlaams Belang, Italy’s Northern League, Hungary’s Jobbik and the Freedom Party of Austria, The Times reports. All of these parties except Golden Dawn were invited to observe Crimea's vote on joining Russia and all offered their support for the annexation of the south-eastern Ukrainian region.(...)

American soldiers from the Army's 1st Cavalry Division will rotate to locations throughout Poland and the Baltics until at least the end of 2015 to reassure U.S. allies on edge because of recent Russian incursions into Ukraine, according to the top commander of the U.S. Army in Europe. (...)

Russia’s foreign policy of “no” cannot be sustained by its crumbling economy(...) In the financial sector, six major Russian state banks have seen their access to EU and US financial markets severely curtailed.

In the defense sector, the US and the EU cut access to financing exceeding 30 days maturity for Russia’s major companies and introduced an export ban for dual-use goods and technology for 14 mixed-defense companies. Sanctions on cooperation with Russia in the military sector were introduced by Great Britain, Israel, Switzerland, and Sweden. In the energy sector, the US and the EU limited access to finance for major Russian oil and gas companies. The EU and US have also prohibited export of goods, services (not including financial services) and technology in support of exploration or production for Russian deep-water, Arctic offshore, or shale projects. Many countries have joined these sanctions.(...)

Jane's Intelligence ReviewThe rising influence of Russian special forcesIncreased defence spending under Russian president Vladimir Putin has led to a resurgence in the Spetsnaz special forces. Mark Galeotti explains how these elite forces work and why they are at the forefront of Moscow's new non-linear military doctrine.(...)

(...)Supporting Russia may have been good business for Le Pen’s party. The National Front is now facing criticism for a 9 million euro ($11.3 million) loan it received from the First Czech Russian Bank, an obscure Moscow institution owned by Roman Popov, described by EUObserver as a “financier with close ties to the Russian political establishment.”*(...)But coming on the heels of accusations that an MEP from Hungary’s Jobbik party accepted money from Russian intelligence services, it will add to suspicions that the surging European far right is acting as the Kremlin’s mouthpiece within the EU.(...)

U.K. armor pairs up with Polish troops for eastern war gameDuring the Cold War, British tanks never went east of Berlin. But in November, soldiers from the U.K.’s 3rd Armored Division were in Poland, training for high-tech combat against a powerful foe such as Russia.(...)

The expert says there is a common plan to push Russia as far as possible from modern technologies, not only target specific projects

MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. The ban, which the US introduced regarding supplies to Russia of space and military electronic components, is aimed at limiting Russia's access to modern technologies, director of Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences (INASAN), Boris Shustov said on Monday.(...)

The real problem is that Putin has the whole region cornered. And no one seems to notice.

(...)These are not isolated incidents, which becomes clear once you begin to connect the dots. No, today’s Russia is not the Soviet Union anymore, but Moscow is carving up Europe again. Putin has a vision and he’s executing it with very little resistance. In the process, he is undermining the cohesion and credibility of the Western alliance.(...)